Category Archives: News

On May 23, 2016, Lachlan Forsyth, a reporter for TV3 news, emailed through the Contact Form on the No Forced Vaccines website asking whether No Forced Vaccines could provide a statement or whether a spokesperson would like to be interviewed for a news item on the recent measles cases.

No Forced Vaccines spokeswoman emailed back indicating her willingness to be interviewed and/or to provide a written statement.

On May 24 Mr. Forsyth asked No Forced Vaccines to provide a written statement in response to a claim made by the Ministry of Health that the recent measles cases “shows the importance of widespread vaccination, and that the virus is currently able to spread due to pockets of the population where vaccination rates are lower.”

Measles, MMR and Legal Information Update

Website editor’s note: The following information bulletin is designed to help families and school staff affected by the recent cases of measles in schools in the Waikato and Horowhenua given the school closures and concern about the measles cases.

It may also be of interest to other people who are living in an area (such as Northland) where there are currently reported measles cases and would like more information about measles and MMR vaccination.

This information primarily is designed to help the following groups of people:

People who may have been exposed to measles and are looking for information about measles and measles treatments.

People who are considering MMR vaccination and would like information about the vaccine.

People who want information about the legal basis for the exclusion of some unvaccinated people from schools while they are considered to be infectious.

On May 17, 2016, No Forced Vaccines spokeswoman Katherine Smith was invited to be a guest on Radio New Zealand’s “Morning Report” to discuss the recent measles cases in the Waikato area. Please read on the access the audio file of the interview. (A summary of key points is also included on this post for people who have poor internet connections.) Continue reading No Forced Vaccines spokeswoman on Morning Report May 17 2016→

Literally thousands of Australians took to the streets in June this year to express their opposition to a proposed vaccination policy which could see families in which children (who do not qualify for medical exemptions) who are not fully vaccinated in accordance with government policy lose eligibility for a family tax credit and childcare subsidy worth up to $15,000 per child per year.

To learn about the rallies that will take place on September 20, please visit the link below – or scroll down this page:

These rallies are particularly important because the “No Jabs No Pay” bill was introduced into the Australian parliament on September 16.

PLEASE SHARE THIS POST THROUGH FACEBOOK ETC. SO THAT EVERYONE WHO BELIEVES THAT PARENTS SHOULD BE ABLE TO MAKE VACCINATION DECISIONS FOR THEIR CHILDREN WITHOUT FINANCIAL BLACKMAIL CAN LEARN ABOUT THESE RALLIES. THANK YOU.

“Science, not bureaucracy, should be at the heart of NZ vaccination policy”

If NZ wants to continue to improve public confidence in vaccination and increase vaccination rates, “The Ministry of Health needs to focus on using science to make vaccination safer.” That’s the message from Katherine Smith, spokeswoman for No Forced Vaccines, an organisation that opposes coerced or forced vaccinations.

“The government has done a good job of promoting vaccination to parents and vaccination rates are consequently at an all-time high,” Mrs Smith said.

However, in order to sustain high vaccination rates, public confidence in vaccination needs to be maintained, she warned.

“A key reason why many adults, especially health professionals, decide against vaccination for themselves or their children is the risk that a vaccine could cause serious side effects,” Katherine Smith said. Noting the recent disclosure by Centers for Disease Control (CDC) scientist Dr. William Thompson, that the CDC had suppressed data that showed an increased risk of autism for African-American boys who received the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine prior to the age of three, she said that, “This revelation has understandably reduced public confidence in agencies that promote vaccination – even those that nothing to do with the MMR-autism cover-up detailed by Dr. Thompson.” [1]

Here in NZ, Mrs Smith continued, “One way to improve public confidence in vaccination would be to screen people prior to vaccination – so that those who are at a higher risk of suffering an adverse reaction from a particular vaccine can be identified prior to vaccination.”

For example, Mrs Smith said, “Merck, the manufacturers of the MMR vaccine used in NZ (MMRII) disclose a risk of arthritis, especially for women, who receive this vaccine.” According to Merck about 12-26 % of women who are vaccinated experience joint symptoms. For most, this is temporary but some vaccine recipients develop chronic arthritis. [2]

The risk of arthritis after rubella-containing vaccines is not entirely random, Smith continues, explaining that “genetic differences in human leukocyte antigen (HLA) system mean that some women who receive rubella-containing vaccines have a higher risk of developing arthritis than others.” [3]

Screening of adolescent girls or women who were not already immune to rubella to make sure that they did not have one of the types of HLA system associated with increased risk of arthritis “would be one way to make vaccination safer,” Smith stated.

Another measure that the Ministry of Health could take “would be to make it compulsory for doctors to report adverse effects from vaccination to the Centre for Adverse Reactions Monitoring [CARM]”, Smith added. She also said that another useful initiative would be for “new fields to be established in the National Immunisation Register (NIR) where doctors could record side effects and new health problems following vaccination.” Mrs Smith continued. “Such information would be valuable to doctors and nurses as this would make it quick and easy to review “any adverse reaction a child may previously have experienced”.

Making it mandatory for adverse reactions and any vaccine-linked health diagnoses (such as autism) to be recorded in the National Immunisation Register would also mean that “if NZ has an equivalent group to the young African-American boys who are at higher risk of developing MMR vaccine-induced autism (or any other significant adverse health or developmental outcome following any vaccination) this group could be identified by using this strategy.”

Smith added that identification of any groups at risk of an adverse outcome after vaccination “would allow research into factors that may increase the risk for adverse reactions and thereafter develop strategies to reduce these risks.”

There was a danger that if NZ’s vaccination policy continued to focus on meeting bureaucratic targets rather than ensuring that the best available science is utilised in order to reduce the risk of adverse reactions, “that people will suffer needlessly from preventable vaccine-induced illness or disability,” Smith said.

“Any country that promotes vaccination has an obligation to institute policies that make vaccination as safe as possible for people who want to be vaccinated, while respecting the rights of people who do not want to be vaccinated,” Smith concluded.

Simple, Effective Treatments for Common Childhood Illnesses: What Parents and Health Professionals Need to Know

The NZ government needs to do more to make sure that parents and health professionals “are better informed about treatment options for common childhood illnesses.”

That’s the advice from Katherine Smith, spokeswoman for No Forced Vaccines, a group that opposes coerced or forced vaccinations.

“The government has been very successful in promoting vaccination to parents,” Mrs Smith stated, “And the fact that most vaccines for childhood illnesses are free is also a factor in NZ’s record high vaccination rates.” Mrs Smith added.

“However, as no vaccine is 100% effective, parents still need information about treatments for the common childhood infections.” Mrs Smith said.

For example, chickenpox,measles, mumps and rubella and other acute viral infections have a long, successful history of being treated with supplementary vitamin C, Mrs Smith stated.

“Unfortunately, many parents and even some health professionals don’t realise this.” This simple treatment, she said, “Supports the immune system in fighting the virus and is safe for the vast majority of patients.”

Noting that some of the diseases for which there are vaccines, such as diphtheria and pertussis (whooping cough) “are dangerous because of the toxins produced by bacteria”, Mrs Smith added, “and there is more than ample evidence that vitamin C could be a helpful treatment in these conditions, either as sole treatment or in combination with other treatments, depending on the individual situation.” [1][2][3]

It was important that parents who are considering using vitamin C to treat a child who is suffering from any type of infection “ensure that they get professional advice about a suitable dose for their child and make sure that there is no contraindication for using this treatment.”

It was also troubling, Mrs Smith continued, “that parents could be influenced by articles online or elsewhere that encourage the use of paracetamol to treat the fever associated with common viral infections.”

While there are some situations (such as in patients with serious heart or lung disorders) where paracetamol would be indicated, a blanket recommendation for using paracetamol to reduce an elevated temperature, Mrs Smith stated “has risks, because a fever plays a valuable role in improving the efficacy of the immune system. Unnecessarily suppressing a fever may prolong an infection, or even increase the risk of death for patients who have a severe infection,” Smith warned. [4]

“A public education programme about how to use vitamin C and other nutrients to treat infections could greatly reduce morbidity and even mortality from infections,” Mrs Smith concluded.

Call for compulsory vaccination by prominent GP “alarming”

PRESS RELEASE

No Forced Vaccines,

April 19, 2015

The statement by GP Dr. Lance O’Sullivan who won the “New Zealander of the Year Award” in 2014 that parents should be “compelled” to have their children vaccinated is “frankly alarming”, according to Katherine Smith, spokeswoman for No Forced Vaccines.

“I have no doubts that Dr. O’Sullivan is a dedicated doctor who cares about his patients and the community, and his recognition is well deserved given the initiatives he has taken to improve the health of people in Kaitaia, such as the Kainga Ora healthy housing initiative,” Mrs Smith says.

“However, his misguided advocacy of compulsion with regard to vaccination is frankly alarming, given that he is a doctor, and should therefore understand that medical ethics demand that except in extreme circumstances (such as an unconscious patient who needs emergency treatment to save his or her life), patients must be able to make a free and informed decision about their medical care.”

In practice, Mrs Smith explains, given that vaccination is a medical procedure that has serious risks, as well as potential benefits, health professionals who offer vaccination to their patients need to provide information about the benefits and risks of the vaccine. This allows people to make an informed decision about whether to be vaccinated.

In the case of vaccinations for children, their parents need to have this information to make a decision on behalf of their child, she says.

“For a doctor to advocate for vaccination to be compulsory, or to favour the use of financial penalties to try to coerce parents into vaccination their children shows a worrying disregard for basic medical ethics.” Mrs Smith continues. “Dr O’Sullivan’s statement that parents should be ‘compelled’ to have their children vaccinated suggests he has very little regard for the basic human right of people to make their own decisions about medical treatment for themselves and their minor children.

Noting that Prime Minister John Key had ruled out linking children’s vaccinations to benefits, Mrs Smith adds that it is reassuring that the government recognises that trying to coerce parents into vaccinating their children would be an infringement of the rights of both parents and children.

“Most Kiwi parents support vaccination, as evidenced by the fact that 94% of children here are now vaccinated – a record for NZ,” she adds. “Any type of compulsion with regard to vaccination is not only unethical but unnecessary.”

Prime Minister John Key deserves the gratitude of every thinking New Zealander for his sensible decision not to follow the example of Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott regarding linking children’s vaccinations to childcare subsidies or welfare payments.

“It’s refreshing when a public figure who supports vaccination is also honest about the fact that for some people, vaccination can have unintended adverse consequences,” comments Katherine Smith, spokeswoman for No Forced Vaccines. “While most children and adults who are vaccinated experience only minor or temporary side effects, in a few cases adverse reactions to vaccines can be life-threatening, such as the severe reaction that left Australian child Saba Button profoundly disabled and in need of 24 hour care for the rest of her life, or even fatal, such as the case of Ashley Jade Epapara who died after a routine influenza vaccination.”

Explaining that vaccination is unusual among medical interventions in that it is a procedure designed for healthy people with the aim of preventing illness rather than treating someone who is already sick, Katherine Smith continues:

“It is a basic human right to be able to make a free and informed choice about medical treatments – and in the case of children, parents need to be able to make this decision on their children’s behalf, since if anything does go wrong it is parents and children who have to live with the consequences.”

Noting that New Zealand’s current vaccination rate is at a “record high 94%”, Mrs Smith adds, that “It’s clear that most New Zealand parents support vaccination without any compulsion and the current initiatives that are being taken by the government to increase vaccination rates and make it easier for parents who want their children to be vaccinated to be able to access this service have obviously been very successful.”